Mycoplasma is the simplest and smallest microbial group, which does not have any cell wall. Mycoplasma pneumoniae, which is a kind of Mycoplasma, is a microorganism causing mycoplasma pneumonia. It is difficult, particularly in children, to distinguish mycoplasma pneumonia from pneumonia caused by Streptococcus pneumoniae or Chlamydia pneumoniae, and effective antibiotics to Mycoplasma pneumoniae are different from those of them. It is not uncommon to miss the diagnosis and use a wrong antibiotic, leading to serious symptoms. It is desired to accurately judge infection and diagnose a disease.
However, the existing Mycoplasma pneumoniae detection method, which utilizes a Mycoplasma pneumoniae extract mixture as an antigen, has the problems that specificity is low, and that reproducibility cannot be maintained due to the difference between lots of extract.
It has been reported that Mycoplasma pneumoniae is a substance responsible for mycoplasma pneumonia, asthma and nervous diseases. However, the pathogenic mechanism of them has not been clarified yet (Japanese Laid-Open Patent Publication No. 2005-110545; The Journal of Emergency Medicine, 2006, 30, 4, 371-375; Cytokine & Growth Factor Reviews, 2004, 15, 2-3, 157-168; and Brain and Development, 2005, 27, 6, 431-433).